The Importance of Being Frank
by EveningSunrise
Summary: It was common knowledge that James Potter had a crush on Lily Evans, but at some point, like most obsessions, it faded. That was, until the beginning of October.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Not mine!

The Importance of Being Frank

James had gotten over her. It was common knowledge that James Potter had a large, borderline stalker-like, crush on Lily Evans but at some point, like most obsessions, it faded. It might have been when he stopped learning something new about her every day, or when his exams became too overwhelming and he had resigned to stare at his books instead of her hair but what's important is that it happened. School ended and her absence from his life made her fade even more. 

Upon return to school at the beginning of Seventh year, she burst back into his life again, but not in the same way as before. Over the summer she had mellowed; James' antics did not annoy her as easily as before and this took away from the chase in his eyes. 

That was, until the beginning of October.

--

James and Sirius Black were sitting in the common room on a cool Saturday morning. They were waiting for Remus and Peter so they could head off to the first Quidditch match of the season, Ravenclaw v. Slytherin, when Lily and her friend Marlene came down the dormitory stairs talking loudly.

"I'm telling you, Ravenclaw's going to win today," Lily said.

"Of course they are. Why would you listen to me? It's not like I'm a Gryffindor chaser, or I know anything about the sport or the like? It's exactly the correct response to refuse to believe me when I tell you that Slytherin is going to wipe the floor with Ravenclaw today," Marlene facetiously replied.

"Haven't you ever heard of the underdog?" Lily shot back. "The good fight? A come-from-behind victory? I'd put money on the game today"

"Put your money where your mouth is, big girl!"

Lily sighed. "I said 'would.' I'm broke."

Marlene stood silently in the middle of the common room for a moment. "One spell, 24 hours. Winner's choice. That's what I bet you."

"Anything? Big teeth, yellow hair, uncontrollable yelling voice?"

Marlene pondered this for a moment. "No loud voice. I want to embarrass you in class on Monday and even I'm not cruel enough to have you yelling at McGonnogall."

"You're on." They shook as they left the common room. James and Sirius who had been listening to this affair looked at each other.

"Your girlfriend's going to her ass handed to her, mate."

"Shut up Padfoot. She's not my girlfriend."

"He's right," Remus chimed in. "Our Prongs hardly thinks of his dearest Lily anymore." Peter faked a swoon and the three of them could hardly make it out the door with James yelling on their tails.

--

As predicted, Ravenclaw lost spectacularly to Slytherin and the four boys overheard Lily and Marlene at breakfast the next morning.

"I'm sorry, Lily. I couldn't hear your question over the sound of me winning. What did you ask?"

"Stop gloating you cow! It's unbecoming of you. What are you going to do to me?"

"Are you nervous I'm going to change your hair?" Marlene kid.

"Honestly, yes."

"Nope, I stayed up last night looking for it." Marlene passed Lily a piece of parchment with a spell and it's properties scribbled down on it.

_Inibitio Revelar - When performed on an individual, this spell allows one to act as they'd ideally like to._

Lily was confused. "What does this mean? Ideally like to?"

"It will release you of your inhibitions. You will act as you really want to, say what you really want to, the like."

"So it will make me do stupid things? Couldn't you just confund me?"

"No, that's not it. You won't be doing anything you wouldn't do otherwise. This spell isn't going to make you have lesbian sex with Alice if you're not attracted to her alrea--"

She was cut off by the groan from all the male students in earshot.

"Shut it you pervs! Get your own conversation! As I was saying, it will loosen your mind, loosen your actions and loosen your tongue. You're going to be gutsy and ballsy and impulsive and we're going to get to see what you think."

"Could you please talk like a normal person!?"

"You're going to say funny shit and I'm going to laugh."

Lily chewed on her spoon while she thought this over. She couldn't think of anything she was afraid of doing, and it wasn't like she had a choice. "Okay. Midnight?"

"I'll see you there." Marlene left Lily on her own to think about what she really wanted. Less than one minute later, Lily was unfortunately sandwiched by James and Sirius.

"We heard what Marlene's going to do to you," Sirius goaded.

James added, "Who are you going to tell off first?"

Lily's eyes got wide as she realized that she had a few rather nasty things to say to a few people and her life might be easier if she never said them. "Shit!"


	2. Chapter 2

AN: No profit to be made here.

Ch. 2

"What's going to happen again," Lily said with a wince.

"Oi!" Marlene yelled. "You're going mental. Don't worry!"

A few people in the common room looked up.

"You said I'm going to say weird things."

"Not weird things. Things you might not say otherwise."

"I'm going to blurt out things?"

Marlene sighed. "No. You can still lie. You can joke, play and have fun. But you're going to be crass and say some petty, tasteless things and since you're never petty nor crass nor tasteless, I want to see what it looks like."

"You're mean, you know that?"

"You shouldn't bet, you know that?"

Lily glared at her for a moment. "Is it okay if I go to bed now. Does this happen tomorrow morning?"

"Midnight. You can be sleeping when I do it."

"Good. At least I'll get a few hours of peace."

"Goodnight." Marlene waved as Lily made her way up the stairs.

--

Lily wasn't particularly verbose the next morning while the girls were getting ready. Somewhat disheartened, Marlene left the dormitory before Lily to apply her makeup in the common room. Just as she was finishing applying her lipstick, Lily asked, "Why are you doing your makeup down here?"

"I don't know." Marlene replied. "Felt like it."

"Well you should have done it upstairs."

"Why's that?" She was still pouting into her mirror.

"Your lipstick makes you look like you work in the red light district."

Marlene stared at Lily, mouth agape for a moment until Peter took this opportunity to jump into their conversation.

"What's a red light district?"

Peter's three friends couldn't stifle their laughter.

"You really know nothing, do you?" Lily replied.

Peter blushed and studied his feet while Marlene wiped off her lipstick. 

"Better?" she asked.

"Much."

"Well, let's get to breakfast." The entire group made their way to the door before Lily realized.

"I forgot my school bag. I'll meet you down there." She sprinted back up to get her things and walked alone down to the Great Hall, thankful for this opportunity to not talk. However, when she got there, Marlene and the Marauders were reading the paper and talking about her new least favorite subject, Quidditch.

"Have you seen the new chaser for the Romanian team?" Sirius was talking animatedly.

"I'm not hungry," Lily said to herself after looking at the food on the table. 

"I heard he came out of a 120 ft. dive eight inches from the ground." James' enthusiasm could rival him.

Lily listened and decided to joke. "Was he going for something, or just showing off?"

The boys and Marlene stared at her for a moment before taking up their discussion again.

"I know we're chasers," Marlene said to James, "but I don't think I would ever be so brave to do that."

"It wasn't brave."

Those three words made the three of them stop in their tracks.

"If it wasn't brave, what would you call it?" Sirius asked.

"It's showing off. It's not brave. If I ran full speed towards the wall and stopped just short, it wouldn't be brave. I'd be borderline. If you said the wrong two words to the Romanian chaser or any of you," her eyes focused on James, "I'd see a cloud of dust leading to the hills and you know it." She immediately turned to the food on the table, looking for something to appetize her. 

They stared at her again for a moment before James spoke. "Why did you look at me when you said that?"

"Said what?" Lily replied.

"'Any of you.'"

"Did I?" she asked, still rummaging through the danishes.

"Yes. Which two words?"

"What?"

"Which two words would send me to the hills?"

Lily stopped her search and thought for a second. She looked up at James and smiled.

"Gag ball."

Marlene choked on her muffin, but the four boys looked at her with puzzled faces. She rose from her seat at the table and gathered her things.

"This is what it's going to be like all day," she said calmly. "See you in class," and she walked away. 

She was barely out the door before James had finished shoveling his meal into his mouth and started walking after her, moving just a little too fast to be cool.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Doesn't belong to me

Ch. 3

Lily had turned into the third floor corridor and walked ten steps before stopping. She turned and looked behind her, but saw no one, but something still felt strange so she went out on a limb. "I can hear you!"

At this, James popped out from behind the corner. "Hey."

"Hay's for horses, why are you following me? Are you even in my first class?"

"I sit in the back."

"Surprising."

"I came to ask you a question."

Lily raised her eyebrows when he did not continue immediately.

James paused first. "What's a gag ball?"

A smile cracked onto Lily's face "It's a, it's got a strap and the ball goes in your mouth."

James obviously didn't understand so she continued. "Sexual masochism thing. Muffles screams."

"Oh. Then you might have been right."

Lily laughed, "Make sure to tell your friends."

They continued walking in silence for a while, but James couldn't hold his tongue. "Don't you want to say anything else to me?"

Lily stopped dead in her tracks and it took a moment for James to realize she wasn't with him anymore.

"Why are you asking me that? Are you trying to prod a confession out of me?"

"Excuse me?"

"What is it do you think I'm going to say? That I'm desperately in love with you, I can't bear to go on without you in my presence, that my passion for you burns with the power of a thousand suns?" She began walking at a faster pace than before, practically running past James who had to jog to keep up with her.

He tried to regroup and walk back his question. "That's not what I meant. I want to know if you have something to say to me that you haven't already."

"I haven't told you of my disdain for you enough?"

"No, you have. Perhaps your feelings have softened or changed in the slightest bit?"

"Are you still trying to date me? Has something convinced you that I've changed my mind?"

James was now walking backwards directly in front of Lily, and this was intimidating her somewhat but she stood up to her fullest height and stared straight into James' eyes while he replied.

"You know, forget I said anything. You clearly still have a stick up your ass."

"You'd know all about the stick up my ass, you're the one who put it there!"

This time it was James who stopped short and Lily had to keep from walking into his chest and Lily had to retract her statement.

"This conversation... has gone to a strange place."

"_I_ put the stick up there? I annoy you that much?"

Lily sighed. "Yes, sometimes you do! You make me want to pull my hair out." She looked at her shiny red locks resting on her shoulder. "No, your hair. It would be more fun for me."

She brushed past him again but James stood there for a moment contemplating her answer. She looked back at him standing there and he turned and said, "Sometimes?"

Lily's face brushed bright red and she tried to walk away quickly but James quickly caught up to her. "I only annoy you sometimes?"

"Yes. Sometimes you're tolerable."

"Tolerable? I could sing."

"And my ears could bleed. Don't let your head get too fat."

Just as they were walking into the classroom Lily stopped James to ask one last question. "Gag balls really scare you?"

"It's not the physical ball that scares me. The situation in which I would use one frightens me."

James noticed how her face lit up when she laughed at his comment. "Am I being tolerable now?"

"You are. That's what scares me."

She left him speechless in the doorway and took her seat in the second row. James kept staring at her until Remus clapped a hand on his shoulder as the rest of the class arrived. "Did you find out what a gag ball is?"

James laughed and walked to his seat which positioned him perfectly to look at the object of his affections. "Yeah, she did."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Hey! It's been what, eight months? Well, I'm back baby! I can tell you that the reason for my hiatus began when my schoolwork piled up and I couldn't handle both at the same time. This was logically dropped. Then when the homework went away, I came back and looked at this and decided I hated it. I couldn't see where it was going, I couldn't remember why I decided to do chapters, I didn't see what would happen to make it worth writing. So I forgot about it. But then things got really quiet and my brain started wandering again. So I'm back. I still don't like this that much, but I'm going to finish it, because I don't want to be that person. Anyway, more importantly, I'm out of ideas. For this I've thought up a conclusion, but after that, I've got nothing. So if you want me to keep writing, send me an idea. I might not take it, but if it keeps my mind hole running and the homework doesn't pile up again, I might just take you up on it. But I should be able to handle both. If I can rewatch all of Grey's Anatomy while school is in session, I should be able to do this. So thanks for the comments, and I'll disclaim once more and get on with the show.

Ch. 4

It was halfway through Divination class and Lily was playing with her hair. No one would have thought this strange or unusual behavior except James. From years and years of watching her, obsessively analyzing her actions and reactions, he knew what was happening if Lily was playing with her hair. It mean she was bored.

The thing is, Lily was never bored. She was always interested in what the teacher was saying or what skill was being taught; her attention only would stray during conversations of little importance with friends or something trivial that was monopolizing her time from something more important. But she was playing with her hair during class and James was watching her do this. In addition to knowing what this meant, he also knew what was coming.

"We're in for a show," he whispered to Peter.

"What?"

"She's getting bored. She's going to snap at someone in a minute or so."

"It's good to see that you've gotten back to your favorite pastime, Prongs," Sirius added from the table behind them. "We'd hate to see that you've lost your touch."

"Shove off," James hissed angrily as he turned to face front in his seat so his friends couldn't see him blush.

Lily continued to play with her hair as the lecture rumbled on. "In the ball, symbols of the future come through the clouds. On rare occasions, symbols are straightforward and represent something close to what form they've taken, as a scythe meaning death..."

She was flipping the pages of her book now, looking for something to distract her from the professor's endless droning.

"Most times, symbols are more complex and have levels to their definitions. While a tree represents new life, it could also mean hope or something as simple as family..."

A look of scrutiny passed over Lily's face before she slammed her book shut "Trees represent family?!" she spat, interrupting her professor. "Doesn't that sound just _too_ convenient?"

Every student who was slowly drifting off to sleep was paying rapt attention now, just waiting for what Lily was going to say next.

The professor eyed her with enthused shock. "Too convenient?"

"You would go out of your way to see things relevant to your own future, like a tree if your family is coming over or a scythe if someone was ill. No one could possibly read their own future from a ball."

"What should we be looking for then?"

Looking her professor squarely in the eye, Lily replied, "Something other than this bullshit."

As if they were one being, the entire class gasped at the same time, with the only other sound being Marlene choking with laughter.

The professor's enthusiasm had worn off instantly. "I think, Miss Evans, we will continue looking for what is yet to happen. I think if you look closely enough, you will see yourself here, tonight at detention."

Lily glared for a moment before opening her book again and finding the page their lecture was based on, angrily flipping each page.

Much like the rest of the class, James watched on in shock, not sure what to do or when to look away. He did however, know that he wanted to see more of this Lily, and would do whatever was necessary to keep her in his company. He shot a loaded look at Peter and then yelled, "With all these crystal balls, you'd think at least one person would have seen this coming."

James' declaration had worked perfectly, as the professor looked up from the notes and said, "And you can join her.

For the next five minutes, the students waited with baited breath for something else to happen, for someone else to step up and get themselves thrown in detention with James and Lily, but the rest of the lesson passed without incident. When the class was dismissed, the professor called out them that detention would start at 8pm, and neither should be late.

When Lily walked out the door, she almost bumped into a grinning Marlene. "Have you ever even had a detention before?"

"No. There goes my perfect record! Thanks a lot."

"Oh, come on. Seven years of school without at least one detention would be a waste of time!"

From down the corridor, a resounding chorus of "Hear, hear!" came from distinctly four voices.

Lily had tried to look mad, but faltered at hearing this and let her shoulders slump. "You know, I should be angrier, but I've been wanting to say that for a while."

Marlene feigned shock. "Cursing out teachers is naughty, naughty. You shouldn't add it to your repertoire."

"So just you then, fuckstick?"

"Hey!"


End file.
